EMERSON 


What  We  Owe  To  Louis  Agassiz,  as 
Teacher 


WHAT  WE  OWE 


LOUIS    AGASSI/, 


AS  A  TEACHER. 


AN  ADDRESS  BY 

GEORGE   B.  EMERSON, 

BEFORE  THE  BOSTON  SOCIETY  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY,  JAN.  7,  18T4. 


BOSTON: 

1874. 


WHAT  WE  OWE 


LOUIS    AGASSIZ, 
AS  A  TEACHER. 


AN  ADDRESS  BY 

GEORGE   B.  EMERSON, 

BEFORE  THE  BOSTON  SOCIETY  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY,  JAN.  7,  18M. 


BOSTON 

1874. 


UCSB  LIBRARY 


ADDRESS. 


MR.  PRESIDENT:  — 

I  thank  yon,  for  the  great  honor  you  do  me  by  inviting  me 
to  say  something  before,  and  in  behalf  of,  your  Society,  in 
commemoration  of  the  most  distinguished  naturalist  that 
has  appeared  among  us.  You  know  how  reluctantly  I  con- 
sented to  speak,  and  I  feel  how  inadequately  I  shall  be  able 
to  represent  the  Society.  Yet  I  cannot  but  admit  that  there 
is  some  apparent  propriety  in  your  request.  I  was  one  of 
those  who  formed  this  Society.  All  the  others  who  first  met, 
except  one,  are  gone ;  Dr.  B.  D.  Greene,  Dr.  J.  Ware,  F.  C. 
Gray  and  the  rest.  My  old  friend,  Dr.  Walter  Channing, 
alone,  in  whose  office  most  of  the  first  meetings  were  held, 
is  still  living.  Moreover,  while  I  was  in  the  seat  you  now  oc- 
cupy, it  was  agreed  by  my  associates  that  it  was  very  proper 
and  desirable  that  a  Survey  of  the  State,  Botanical  and  Zoo- 
logical, should  be  made,  to  complete  that  begun  by  Prof. 
Hitchcock  in  Geology.  At  their  request  I  presented  to  Gov. 
Everett  a  memorial  suggesting  this. 

Our  suggestion  was  graciously  received.  Gov.  Everett 
brought  the  subject  before  the  Legislature,  in  which  some 
friends  of  Natural  History  in  the  House  of  Representatives 
had  already  been  acting  toward  the  same  end ;  an  appropria- 
tion was  made,  and  he  was  authorized  to  appoint  a  commis- 


sion  for  that  purpose.     On  that  commission  four  members  of 
this  Society  were  placed  ;  the  reports  of  three  of  whom,  Dr. 
Harris,  Dr.  Gould  and  Dr.  Storer,  have  been,  and  still  con- 
tinue to  be,  considered  of  signal  and.  permanent  value,  and 
Mr.  Agassiz  himself  regarded  them  as  among  the  best  re- 
ports ever  made.    It  has  given  and  still  gives  me  the  great- 
•    est  satisfaction  to  know  that  the  Society  has  been  continually 
-  going  forward,  and  that  it  is  now  more  prosperous  than  ever. 


A  little  more  than  twenty-seven  years  ago,  as  I  was  sitting 
in  my  study,  a  message  came  to  me  that  two  gentlemen  de- 
sired to  see  me.  They  were  immediately  admitted,  and  Dr. 
Gould  introduced  me  to  Louis  Agassiz.  His  noble  presence, 
the  genial  expression  of  his  face,  his  beaming  eye  and 
earnest,  natural  voice,  at  once  gained  me,  and  I  responded 
cordially  to  his  introduction.  He  said,  "  I  have  come  to  see 
you,  because  Dr.  Gould  tells  me  that  you  know  the  trees 
of  Massachusetts ;  I  wish  to  be  made  acquainted  with  the 
Carya.  I  have  found  the  leaves  and  fruit  of  several  species  in 
the  Jura  Mountains,  where  they  were  deposited  when  those 
mountains  were  formed;  but,  since  that  time,  none  have  been 
found  living  in  Europe.  I  want  to  know  them  as  they  are 
now  growing." 

I  told  him  that  I  knew  all  the  species  found  in  New  Eng- 
land, and  should  be  glad  to  show  them  to  him.  "But  I 
have,"  I  said,  "  presently  to  begin  my  morning's  work.  If 
you  will  let  me  call  on  you  immediately  after  dinner,  I  shall 
be  glad  to  take  you  to  them." 

At  the  time  fixed,  I  called  on  him  at  his  lodgings  and  took 
him,  in  my  chaise,  first  to  Parker's  Hill,  where  one  species  of 
hickory  grew,  then  through  Brookline,  Brighton  and  Cam- 


bridge,  where  two  others  were  found,  and  to  Chelsea,  where 
a  fourth,  and  one  that  might  be  a  variety,  were  growing.  I 
pointed  out  the  characteristics  of  each  species  in  growth, 
branching,  bark,  fruit  and  leaves,  and  especially  in  the  buds. 
He  listened  with  the  most  captivating  attention,  and  ex- 
pressed surprise  at  my  dwelling  upon  the  peculiarities  of  the 
buds.  "I  have  never  known  the  buds  to  be  spoken  of  as 
characteristic,"  said  he  ;  "  that  is  new  to  me."  He  admitted 
the  distinct  peculiarities  of  structure  in  the  buds;  and,  I  have 
no  doubt,  remembered  every  word  I  said,  for,  a  few  months 
afterwards,  I  saw,  in  a  newspaper,  that  Mr.  Agassiz  would 
give  a  lecture,  in  Roxbury,  on  the  buds  of  trees. 

We  drove  on  to  Chelsea  Beach,  which  stretches  off  sev- 
eral miles,  —  apparently  without  end,  —  and,  as  the  tide  was 
very  low,  was  then  at  least  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide.  He  was 
charmed  with  everything,  expi-essing  his  pleasure  with  all  the 
earnestness  of  a  happy  child,  hardly  able  to  restrain  himself 
in  his  admiration  and  delight.  He  told  me  that  he  had  never 
before  been  on  a  sea-beach,  but  that  he  was  familiar  with  the 
undulations  and  wave  marks  on  the  old  beaches  laid  open  in 
the  Jura  Mountains. 

I  need  not  say  what  a  pleasant  drive  this  was.  I  had  long 
felt  great  interest  in  various  departments  of  Natural  History, 
but  had  been  so  fully  occupied  with  my  own  duties,  as  a 
teacher,  that  I  had  been  able  to  indulge  myself  fully,  and  that 
for  a  small  part  of  the  year,  in  one  only.  Here  was  a  com- 
panion who  was  intimately  acquainted  with  all,  and  with  the 
most  distinguished  men  who  had  been  advancing  them,  and 
who  was  ready  and  happy  to  communicate  wealth  of  inform- 
ation upon  every  point  I  could  ask  about. 

Some  days  after,  I  invited  all  the  members  of  this  Society 


to  meet  Mr.  Agassiz  at  my  house.  Every  one  came  that 
could  come.  They  conversed  very  freely  on  several  subjects, 
and  Agassiz  showed  the  fulness  of  his  knowledge,  and  his 
remarkable  powers  of  instant  observation.  All  seemed  to 
feel  what  a  precious  accession  American  science  was  to  re- 
ceive. 

Not  long  afterwards,  Mr.  Agassiz  accepted  an  invitation 
to  spend  Christmas  with  us.  We  took  some  pains,  ourselves 
and  our  children,  among  whom  were  thefl  two  bright  boys, 
full  of  fun  and  frolic,  one  in  college,  and  one  nearly  pi-epared 
to  enter.  He  was  easily  entertained,  entering  heartily,  joy- 
ously and  hilariously,  into  everything,  games  and  all,  as  if 
he  were  still  as  young  as  the  youngest,  but  full  of  feeling, 
and  moved,  even  to  tears,  by  some  poor  lines  to  him  and  his 
native  land. 

My  friends,!  have  thus  shown  you  how  intimate  I  became, 
for  a  few  weeks,  with  Agassiz,  Avhorn  I  found  the  wisest,  the 
most  thoroughly  well-informed  and  communicative,  the  most 
warm-hearted  and  the  most  modest  man  of  science,  with 
whom,  personally,  or  by  his  works,  I  had  ever  become  ac- 
quainted. I  did  not  keep  up  that  intimate  acquaintance, 
both  because  I  was  too  busy  in  my  own  work,  and  because  I  did 
not  deem  myself  worthy  to  occupy  so  much  of  his  lime, 
consecrated,  as  it  was,  to  science  and  the  good  of  mankind. 
The  strong  impression  he  made  on  me,  was  made  on  almost 
all  who  ever  listened  to,  or  even  met,  him.  It  is  not  surpris- 
ing then,  that  *  • 

The  news  of  the  death  of  Agassiz  caused  a  throb  of  an- 
guish in  millions  of  hearts.  Such  a  death  is  a  loss  to  man- 
kind. What  death  among  kings  or  princes  in  the  Old  World, 


or  among  the  aspirants  for  power,  or  the  possessors  of  wealth, 
in  the  New,  could  produce  such  deep-felt  regret  ? 

He  is  gone.  We  shall  see  his  benignant  face  and  hear  his 
winning  voice  no  more;  but  we  have  before  us  his  example, 
and  his  works.  Let  us  dwell,  for  a  few  moments,  on  some 
features  in  his  life  and  character,  as  an  inspiration  and  a  guide, 
especially  to  those  who  mean  to  devote  their  leisure,  or  their 
life,  to  Natural  History,  or  to  the  great  work  of  teaching  ! 
What  a  change  has  taken  place,  in  the  whole  civilized  world, 
and  especially  in  this  country,  in  men's  estimation  of  the  value 
and  interest  of  these  pursuits,  since  he  began  his  studies. 
To  whom  is  that  change  more  due  than  to  Agassiz  ? 

He  was  endowed  by  nature  with  extraordinary  gifts.  His 
fascinating  eye,  his  genial  smile,  his  kindliness  and  ready 
sympathy,  his  generous  earnestness,  his  simplicity  and  ab- 
sence of  pretention,  his  transparent  sincerity ; — these  account 
for  his  natural  eloquence  and  persuasiveness  of  speech,  his 
influence  as  a  man,  and  his  attraction  and  power  as  a  teacher. 
For  the  development  and  perfecting  of  many  of  his  highest 
and  most  estimable  qualities  of  mind  and  character,  Mr. 
Agassiz  was  doubtless  indebted  to  his  noble  mother,  who, 
judging  from  every  thing  we  can  learn,  was  a  very  rare 
and  remarkable  woman.  To  the  quiet,  homely,  household 
duties,  for  which  the  Swiss  women  are  distinguished,  she 
added,  unconsciously,  very  uncommon  mental  endowments, 
which  she  wisely  cultivated  by  extensive  reading  of  the  best 
authors,  and  by  conversation  with  the  most  intelligent  persons^. 

Trained  by  such  a  mother,  Agassiz  grew  up  in  the  belief 
of  a  Creator,  an  infinite  and  all-wise  Intelligence,  Author 
and  Governor  of  all  things.  He  was  sincerely  and  humbly 
religious.  During  his  whole  life,  while  exploring  every  secret 


8 


of  animal  structure,  he  saw  such  wonderful  consistency  in 
every  part,  that  he  never  for  a  moment  doubted  that  all  were 
parts  of  one  vast  plan,  the  work  of  one  infinite,  all-compre- 
hending Thinker.  He  saw  no  place  for  accident,  none  for 
hlind,  unthinking,  brute  or  vegetable  selection.  Though  he 
was  a  man  of  the  rarest  intellect,  he  was  never  ashamed  to 
look  upwards  and  recognize  an  infinitely  higher  and  more 
comprehensive  Intellect  above  him. 

In  his  earliest  years  and  through  childhood,  lie  was  sur- 
rounded by  animals,  —  fishes,  birds  and  other  creatures, — 
which  he  delighted  to  study,  and  with  whose  habits  and 
forms  he  thus  became  perfectly  familiar.  His  education,  in 
all  Respects,  was  very  generous  and  thorough.  He  spent  his 
early  years  in  some  of  the  most  distinguished  schools  and 
colleges  in  Germany;  and  he  had  the  good  fortune  to  be 
made  early  a  student  of  the  two  great  languages  of  ancient 
times.  He  became  familial-,  by  reading  them  in  their  native 
Greek,  Avith  the  high  thought  and  reasoned  truth  and  grace- 
ful style  of  Plato,  and  the  accurate  observations  and  descrip- 
tions of  Aristotle,  the  nicest  observer  of  ancient  times,  and 
justly  considered  the  father  of  natural  history.  Probably  no 
work  has  been  more  sug~gestive  to  him  than  Aristotle's  History 
of  Animals  ;  and  probably  his  own  breadth  of  conception  and 
largeness  of  thought,  upon  the  highest  subjects,  were  due,  in 
no  inconsiderable  degree,  to  his  early  familiarity  with  Plato. 
He  also  read  some  of  the  best  Latin  authors,  and  wrote  the 
language  with  great  ease. 

No  one  who,  early,  has  the  time  and  opportunity,  and  who 
desires  to  become  a  thorough  naturalist,  or  a  thinker  on  any 
subject,  should  neglect  the  study  of  these  two  languages. 
From  them  we  boiTow  nearly  all  the  peculiar  terms  of  nat- 


ural  science,  and  find  the  originals  of  almost  all  the  words 
which  we  use  in  speaking  on  ethical,  metaphysical,  sesthetical 
and  political  subjects,  and  no  one  can  be  sure  that  he  per- 
fectly understands  any  of  these  words  unless  he  knows  them 
in  their  original  language. 

I  dwell  upon  this  subject,  because  I  believe  that  the  early 
study  of  language,  especially  of  the  ancient  languages,  is  far 
too  much  undervalued.  We  use  language,  not  only  in  our 
communication  with  others,  but  in  our  own  thoughts.  On 
all  subjects  of  science,  or  whatever  requires  accurate  thought, 
we  think  in  words,  and  we  cannot  think,  even  within  our- 
selves, upon  any  subject,  without  knowing  the  words  to  ex- 
press our  thoughts.  He  who  is  most  fully  and  familiarly 
acquainted  with  the  richest  language  and  the  thoughts  that 
have  been  expressed  by  it,  has  the  power  of  becoming  not 
only  a  good  thinker  but  an  eloquent  speaker.  No  greater 
mistake  can  be  made,  in  the  early  education  of  the  future 
naturalist,  than  the  neglect  to  give  him  a  full  and  familial- 
acquaintance  with  the  words  by  which  thought  can  be  car- 
ried on  or  communicated.* 

Agassiz's  mother-tongue  was  French,  but  both  this  and 
German  were  in  common  use  in  -the  Pays  de  Vaud.  He 
lived,  for  years  afterwards,  in  several  parts  of  Germany, -and 
thus  attained,  without  special  study,  the  rich  language  which 

*  It  is  a  matter  of  the  greatest  satisfaction  that  the  only  true  mode  of  learning 
language,  the  natural  one,  by  word  of  mouth  from  living  teachers,  is  becoming 
common ;  the  language  itsslf  first,  and  afterwards  the  philosophy  of  it — the  rules. 
It  is  most  desirable  that  this  mode  of  teaming  the  ancient  languages  should  be  in- 
troduced, to  learn  first  the  language,  to  read  and  understand  it,  and  afterwards  the 
rules.  Indeed  I  would  not  recommend  the  study  even  of  Greek,  if  most  or  much 
of  the  time  given  to  it  had  to  bs  thrown  away  upon  the  grammar.  The  true  mode, 
Agassiz'  mode,  of  teaching  on  all  subjects,  is  becoming  more  and  more  common. 
2 


10 


we  Americans  have  to  give  so  much  time  to  acquire ;  and  he 
lived,  long,  a  studious  and  laborious  life  in  Paris,  where  he 
became  intimately  acquainted  with  Cuvier  and  other  distin- 
guished naturalists,  and  perfectly  familiar  with  the  French 
language  in  its  best  form.  More  than  once,  when  he  was 
putting  his  note-book  into  his  pocket,  he  told  me  he  knew 
not  whether  he  had  made  his  notes  in  German  or  in  French. 

Agassiz's  universality  of  study  and  thought  suggest  a  pre- 
cious lesson.  It  is  never  safe  to  give  one's  self  entirely  to  one 
study  or  to  one  course  of  thought.  The  full  powers  of  the 
mind  cannot  so  be  developed.  Nature  is  infinite ;  and  a  small 
part  of  one  kingdom  cannot  be  understood,  however  care- 
fully studied,  without  some  knowledge  of  the  rest. 

Neither  must  a  man  allow  himself  to  be  a  mere  naturalist. 
Every  man  ought  to  seek  to  form  for  himselfr  for  his  own  hap- 
piness and  enjoyment,  the  highest  character  for  intelligence, 
and  for  just  and  generous  feeling,  of  which  he  is  capable. 
He  is  not  a  mere  student  of  a  department  of  nature.  He 
is  a  man;  he  must  make  himself  a  wise,  generous  and  well- 
informed  man,  able  to  sympathise  with  all  that  is  most  beau- 
tiful in  nature  and  art,  and  best  in  society.  It  would  be  a 
poor,  dull  world,  if  all  men  of  talent  were  to  educate  them- 
selves to  be  mere  artisans,  mere  politicians,  or  mere  natu- 
ralists. 

Agassiz  took  a  large,  comprehensive  view  of  the  whole 
field  of  natural  history  ;  his  thorough  education  and  intimate 
acquaintance  with  the  works  of  the  highest  men  in  several 
walks,  Von  Martius,  Cuvier,  Humboldt,  and  others,  made  it 
possible  for  him  to  do  it,  and  he  then  fixed  on  certain  depart- 
ments, and,  for  the  time,  he  gave  himself  entirely  to  one. 


11 


As  a  future  inhabitant  of  America,  it  was  fortunate  for  him 
to  have  been  bora,  and  to  have  grown  up,  in  one  of  the  free 
cantons  of  Switzerland.  He  was  thus  accustomed  to  treat 
men  as  equals ;  and  thus  his  perfect  familiarity  and  his  free- 
dom from  all  assumption  were  as  natural  to  him  as  they 
were  graceful  and  winning.  He  looked  down  upon  none, 
but  felt  a  sympathy  with  every  thing  best  in  every  heart. 
The  reality  of  these  great  human  qualities  gave  a  natural 
dignity  which  his  hearty  and  ready  laugh  could  never 
diminish.  Every  one  was  drawn  toward  him  by  what  was 
best  in  himself.  With  the  greatest  gentleness  he  united  a 
strong  will,  and  with  a  resolute  earnestness,  untiring  patience. 
His  great  object  was  truth,  and,  as  he  never  had  any  doubt 
that  it  was  truth,  he  may  have  been  impatient,  but  he  never 
felt  really  angry  with  those  who  opposed  it. 

Mr.  Agassiz  had,  for  several  years,  the  great  advantage  and 
privilege  of  being  an  assistant,  in  the  description  and  delinea- 
tion of  fishes  from  Brazil,  to  Von  Martins,  the  genial  and  elo- 
quent old  man  of  Munich.  In  him  he  had  the  example  of  a 
man,  who,  with  great  resources  as  a  naturalist,  had,  for  many 
years,  given  himself,  in  a  foreign  country,  to  the  study  of  a 
single  department  of  Botany,  without,  howevei',  shutting  his 
eyes  to  any  thing  that  was  new  and  remarkable  in  any  page 
of  Natural  History.  To  one  who  was  a  good  listener  and 
never  forgot  what  he  heard,  what  a  preparation  must  this 
have  been  for  his  own  expedition,  many  years  after,  to  the 
sources  of  the  Amazon,  to  which  he  was  invited  by  the  Em- 
peror of  Brazil,  in  which  he  was  assisted  by  the  princely  aid 
of  his  own  friends,  and  from  which  he  brought  home  a  greater 
number  of  new  species  of  fresh  water  fishes  than  were  ever 
before  discovered  by  one  individual,  thus  carrying  forward 


12 

that  work  upon  the  fishes  of  Brazil,  his  first  Work,  which  he 
had  published  when  he  was  twenty-two  years  old. 

He  spent  the  leisure  of  several  years  in  examining  the  reefs 
and  dredging  in  the  waters  of  the  coast  of  Florida  and  other 
parts,  always  bringing  home  stores  of  new  species  and  genera, 
and  completing  the  history  of  innumerable  known  ones. 
What  a  preparation  were  these  years  for  the  great  Hasler  ex- 
pedition, in  which  the  depths  of  the  ocean  were  very  fully 
explored,  and  innumerable  objects,  new  and  old,  were  brought 
up,  showing  that  the  bottom  of  the  ocean  is  any  thing  but 
barren,  and  throwing  new  light  upon  the  geology  of  recent 
and  of  ancient  times. 

Whenever  Mr.  Agassiz  undertook  a  special  work,  he  pre- 
pared himself  for  it  by  a  careful  study  of  whatever  had  been 
done  in  that  particular  line  by  all  others.  He  had  seen,  every- 
where, indications  of  the  action  of  ice.  He  determined  to 
investigate.  He  began  by  reading  all  he  could  find  upon  the 
subject,  and  then  set  himself  to  observe,  patiently  and  care- 
fully, what  was  taking  place  in  the  glaciers  themselves.  He 
gave  the  leisure  of  several  years  to  this  examination,  and 
then  felt  himself  ready  to  observe  the  effects  of  similar  ac- 
tion in  former  ages  and  distant  regions.  The  opinions  of 
such  an  observer,  after  such  a  preparation,  cannot  be  without 
authority  and  value  ;  and  it.  is  not  surprising  that  he  should 
not  himself  have  been  willing  to  yield  them  to  those  oi 
others  who  had  never  given  the  same  study  to  the  subject. 

When  he  wrote  his  wonderfully  compltte  work  upon  the 
American  Testtidinata,  he  began  by  studying  whatever  had 
been  written  in  regard  to  that  family  of  animals,  and  he  fur- 
nished himself;  by  the  liberal  aid  of  many  friends,  with  im- 
mense numbers  of  specimens,  so  that  he  had  ample  means  of 


13 

satisfying  himself  in  regard  to  almost  every  question  that 
could  he  asked,  as  to  structure  or  habits.*  Such  a  work  will 
not  need  to  be  done  over  again  for  many  years.  It  can  never 
be  entirely  superseded  except  by  a  work  showing  greater  dil- 
igence, greater  fidelity  and  better  powers  of  nice  observation 
and  faithful  description. 

Let  no  one  who  has  not  carefully  examined  this,  and  his 
other  papers  in  the  "  Contributions  to  the  Natural  History  of 
the  United  States,"  venture  to  speak  of  his  incompleteness. 

His  example  as  a  teacher  has  been  of  inestimable  value,  as 
showing  the  importance  of  the  best  and  largest  possible 
preparation,  teaching  by  things  really  existing  and  not  by 
books,  opening  the  eye  to  the  richness  and  beauty  of  nature* 
showing  that  there  is  no  spot,  from  the  barren  sea-beach  to 
the  top  of  the  mountain,  which  does  not  present  objects  at- 
tractive to  the  youngest  beginner,  and  worthy  of,  and  reward- 
ing, the  careful  consideration  of  the  highest  intellect. 

The  town  of  Neufchatel,  near  which  Mr.  Agassiz  was  born, 
and  particularly  the  hills  behind  it,  give  fine  views  of  natural 
scenery.  From  a  hill,  not  two  miles  from  his  former  home, 
I  had  a  view  of  the  lake  and  the  plains  and  mountains  be- 
yond, which  I  now  recall  as  one  of  the  widest,  most  varied 
and  most  exquisite,  I  have  ever  seen.  Agassiz  thus  grew  up 
to  a  love  of  the  beautiful. 

This  love  of  the  beautiful  in  nature  has  been  increasing 
from  the  most  ancient  times  to  the  present.  It  is  more  gener- 
ally felt  and  more  fully  enjoyed  now  than  ever  before,  and  in 

*  In  speaking  of  the  thorough  execution  of  the  works  in  the  four  volumes,  we 
ought  not  to  forget  the  aid  he  received  from  the  exquisite  skill  in  drawing  and 
engraving  of  Sonrel,  who  wore  out  liis  eyes  in  the  work,  and  of  Burckhardt  and 
Clark. 


14 

this  country,  apparently,  more  than  in  any  other.  More  per- 
sons leave  the  cities,  as  soon  as  they  begin  to  grow  warm  and 
dusty,  to  enjoy  the  country  or  the  seaside,  the  mountains  or 
the  lakes ;  and  they  enjoy  rationally  and  heartily.  Who  has 
done  more  than  Agassiz  to  increase  this  enjoyment?  With 
thousands,  it  is  becoming  not  merely  the  enjoyment  but  the 
study  of  the  beautiful.  Collections  of  shells,  curious  animals, 
minerals,  sea- weeds,  and  flowers,  are  becoming,  like  libraries, 
not  only  sources  of  pleasure  to  the  eye,  but  of  delightful 
study,  whereby  a  nearer  approach  is  made  to  the  very  foun- 
tain of  enjoyment ;  we  not  only  see  and  feel,  we  begin  to  un- 
derstand. The  more  we  see  of  the  uses,  of  the  wonders,  of 
the  structure,  the  more  profound  is  our  enjoyment?  Who 
has  done  more  than  Agassiz  to  awaken  this  enjoyment? 
.  In  1855,  with  the  aid  of  Mrs.  Agassiz,  who,  from  the  be- 
ginning, did  a  great  deal  of  the  work,  Mr.  Agassiz  opened  a 
school  for  young  ladies.  For  this  he  was,  in  all  respects, 
admirably  well  qualified.  The  charm  of  his  manner,  his  per- 
fect simplicity,  sincerity  and  warm-heartedness,  attracted 
every  pupil,  and  won  her  respect,  love  and  admiration.  He 
knew,  almost  instinctively,  what  we  teachers  have  to  learn  by 
degrees,  that  we  cannot  really  attract,  control  and  lead  a 
child,  and  help  to  form  his  habits  and  character,  without  first 
loving  him;  that  nothing  in  the  world  is  so  powerful  as  real, 
disinterested  affection.  He  gave,  himself,  by  lectures  most 
carefully  prepared,  an  hour's  instruction,  real  instruction, 
every  day.  All  his  pupils  retain  their  respect  and  love  for 
him,  and  some  keep  the  notes  they  made  of  his  talks,  and 
read  them  with  delight.  The  school  was  continued  for  seven 
years,  with  great  success,  attracting  pupils  from  distant  parts 
of  the  country. 


15 

One  of  the  secrets  of  his  success  as  a  teacher  was,  that  he 
brought  in  nature  to  teach  for  him.  The  young  ladies  of  a 
large  school  were  amused  at  his  simplicity  in  putting  a  grass- 
hopper into  the  hand  of  each,  as  he  came  into  the  hall;  but 
they  were  filled  with  surprise  and  delight,  as  he  explained  the 
structure  of  the  insect  before  them,  and  a  sigh  of  disappoint- 
ment escaped  from  most  of  them  when  the  lesson,  of  more 
than  an  hour,  closed.  He  had  opened  their  eyes  to  see  the 
beauty  of  the  Avonderful  make  of  one  of  the  least  of  God's 
creatures.  What  a  lesson  was  this  to  young  women  prepar- 
ing to  be  teachers  in  the  public  schools  of  the  Commonwealth, 
showing  that  in  every  field  might  be  found  objects  to  excite, 
and,  well  explained,  to  answer,  the  questions,  what?  and 
how  ?  and  why  ?  which  children  will  always  be  asking. 

He  had  all  the  elements  necessary  to  an  eloquent  teacher  : 
voice,  look  and  manner,  that  instantly  attracted  attention ; 
an  inexhaustible  flow  of  language,  always  expressive  of  rich 
thoughts,  strong  common  sense,  a  thorough  knowledge  of  all 
the  subjects  on  which  he  desired  to  speak,  a  sympathy  with 
others  so  strong  that  it  became  magnetic,  and  a  feeling  of  the 
value  of  what  he  had  to  say,  which  became  and  created  en- 
thusiasm. He  thus  held  the  attention  of  his  audience,  not 
only  instructing  and  persuading  them,  but  converting  them 
into  interested  and  admiring  fellow  students. 

His  mode  of  teaching,  especially  in  his  ready  use  of  the 
chalk  and  the  blackboard,  was  a  precious  lesson  to  teachers. 
He  appealed  at  once  to  the  eye  and  to  the  ear,  thus  naturally 
forming  the  habit  of  attention,  which  it  is  so  difficult  to  form 
by  the  study  of  books.  Whoever  learns  this  lesson  will  soon 
find  that  it  is  the  teacher's  part  to  do  the  study,  to  get  com- 
plete possession  of  what  is  to  be  taught,  in  any  subject,  and 


10 


how  it  is  to  be  presented,  while  it  is  the  part  of  the  pupils 
to  listen  attentively  and  to  remember.  This  they  will  easily 
do,  and,  to  show  that  they  do  remember,  they  may  be  easily 
led  to  give  an  account,  in  writing,  of  what  they  have  heard. 
Every  lesson  will  thus  be  not  only  an  exercise  of  attention 
and  memory,  but  a  lesson  ia  the  English  language,  proper  in- 
struction in  which  is  very  much  needed  and  very  much 
neglected.  Whenever  a  pupil  does  not  fully  understand,  the 
teacher  will  have  the  opportunity,  while  he  is  at  the  black- 
board, of  enlarging  and  making  more  intelligible. 

Wherever  the  teacher  shall  be  successful  in  adopting  this 
true  and  natural  mode  of  teaching,  the  poor  text-books  which 
now  infest  the  country  will  be  discontinued,  and  those  Avho 
now  keep  school  will  become  real  teachers ;  school  keeping 
will  be  turned  into  teaching.  When  this  method  is  f  lirly  in- 
troduced, we  shall  hear  no  more  of  long,  hard  lessons  at 
home,  nor  of  pupils  from  good  schools  who  have  not  learned 
to  write  English. 

The  advent  of  Agassiz  is  to  be  considered  a  most  import- 
ant event  in  the  Natural  History  of  the  country.  The  ex- 
ample of  his  character,  his  disinterestedness,  his-  consecration 
to  science,  his  readiness  to  oblige  even  the  humblest  and  most 
modest,  his  superiority  to  self-interest,  his  sincerity  and  ab- 
sence of  all  pretention,  his  enthusiasm  in  all  that  is  noble  — 
all  these  recommended  not  only  him,  but  the  science  he  pro- 
fessed. Never  was  a  life  more  richly  filled  with  study,  work, 
thought ;  and  all  was  consecrated,  not  to  the  benefit  of  him- 
self, but  to  the  promotion  of  science  for  the  good  of  his  fellow 
creatures. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Agassiz  has  seemed  to  live  only  for 
the  advancement  of  natural  history,  by  the  building  up  of 


17 


his  Museum,  for  which  he  had  collected  materials,  of  the 
greatest  possible  diversity,  which  would,  properly  cared  for 
and  arranged,  form  a  Museum  superior  in  numbers  and  vari- 
ety to  any  similar  collection  in  the  world.  Shall  this  great 
work  be  allowed  to  fail  ? 

Let  every  person  who  honors  the  memory  of  Agassiz,  say 
No !  Let  every  one  who  regrets  that  the  great  main  support 
of  the  noble  structure  is  taken  away,  resolve  that  it  shall  not 
fail,  BUT  that,  so  far  as  depends  on  him  and  what  he  can  do, 

IT  SHALL  GO  ON  AND  BE  BUILT  AND  PILLED,  AND  STAND 
FIRM,  A  GLORIOUS  TEMPLE  OF  SCIENCE  FOREVER. 


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